TAMPA BAY: HITTING: OF DESMOND JENNINGS' on-base skills will lead to tons of runs and SBs despite his mediocre batting average. 2B BEN ZOBRIST bounced back from a disappointing 2010, and will continue to produce near the top of the batting order. Though a series of nagging injuries plagued his 2011 season, 3B EVAN LONGORIA slugged 17 HR in his last 53 games. Fully healthy this season, he'll be an elite power-hitter with double-digit SB potential. OF B.J. UPTON's days in Tampa may be numbered. He's an elite athlete, but he just might lose his head if he's traded into a tough situation. After a hot start, OF MATT JOYCE settled in as the productive hitter he is. He should get to play every day in right field. SSs SEAN RODRIGUEZ and REID BRIGNAC will battle for ABs but neither hits on a consistent basis. C JOSE MOLINA was acquired for his defense much more than his hitting. DH LUKE SCOTT can also play some 1B when slugger CARLOS PENA, who is returning to Tampa after hitting 28 homers for the Cubs in 2011, needs a rest. STARTING PITCHING: DAVID PRICE was a little more hittable than in 2010, but he increased his already-high strikeout rate while cutting back on walks. His win total should rise from a disappointing 12 last year. JAMES SHIELDS put his 2010 disaster season behind him and became a Cy Young candidate. His peripheral stats and skills weren't all that different the past two years, it was a big swing of luck. Some people are putting out the Bust Alert on Rookie of the Year JEREMY HELLICKSON. He had the league's luckiest batting average on balls in play (.217), but he improved as last season progressed. MATT MOORE may be this year's R.O.Y. after a dominant late-season call up. He'll be among the league leaders in strikeouts for years to come. WADE DAVIS is a mediocre pitcher who eats innings at the back of the rotation. RELIEF PITCHING: KYLE FARNSWORTH looked as strong as he has in years, converting 25 of 31 saves in his first season with the Rays. He's the closer again this year, but it won't take much for him to lose that job after an unsteady last third of the 2011 season. JOEL PERALTA may overtake Farnsworth for ninth-inning duties at some point this season. Peralta was 5-for-5 on saves in September when Farnsworth was hurt, and gave up only one run in his final 21.3 innings. Possible future closer JAKE McGEE progressed nicely after a tough start to 2011. He's got potentially lethal stuff. Former Angels hurler FERNANDO RODNEY is looking to bounce back after a wild season (28 walks, 26 strikeouts in 32 IP).

CHI WHITE SOX: HITTING: The departure of Juan Pierre opens things up for SS ALEXEI RAMIREZ to hit leadoff. 2B GORDON BECKHAM will get a fresh start, but his leash is shortening. 1B PAUL KONERKO faded last year. He's potential trade bait for the rebuilding Sox. Did DH ADAM DUNN need a year to adjust to A.L. pitching and DHing? With his contract, the Sox will have to find out. OF ALEJANDRO DE AZA's late-season surge probably wasn't for real, but it was enough to get him the inside track on a starting job with Carlos Quentin having been dealt to the Padres on New Year's Eve. OF ALEX RIOS has bounced back before, but at his age the odds are longer now. The organization believes in OF DAYAN VICIEDO. His improving approach and power fit well in U.S. Cellular, but he could platoon with KOSUKE FUKUDOME in left field. C A.J. PIERZYNSKI has motivation for one more solid season as free agency looms. 3B BRENT MOREL is good glove, but has a limited stick. OF/1B BRENT LILLIBRIDGE has an improving bat and can play just about anywhere. STARTING PITCHING: JOHN DANKS doesn't look like a true No. 1 starter, but he keeps consistently throwing strikes and has some swing-and-miss stuff. Maybe it's because he's fallen short of his once-elite prospect status, but GAVIN FLOYD seems to get no respect as a quality middle-of-the-rotation arm. He was especially good after adding a cutter/slider-type pitch last year. JAKE PEAVY isn't going to win another Cy Young, but unlike last year, his shoulder should be close to 100 percent. The big question will again be whether, as a flyball pitcher, he can keep the ball in the park at cozy U.S. Cellular. PHILIP HUMBER was a nice surprise in 2011, but don't be fooled. It wasn't a former top prospect finally figuring it out. It was a back-of-the-rotation arm getting some good breaks. CHRIS SALE will make the move to the rotation. He'll likely be on some pitch counts, but this is an exciting development. With his stuff (he already has a solid changeup to go with his fastball/slider combo) he has monster upside. RELIEF PITCHING: With closer Sergio Santos shipped off to Toronto, youngster ADDISON REED figures to be the top candidate to close games. Any young closer is a risk, but Reed's fastball/slider combo has been dominant over two pro seasons. Lefty MATT THORNTON might have blown his chance to claim the closer role last year. He had regained his form as a top set-up man late in the year, but if Reed falters he might be no more than a committee guy. JESSE CRAIN chased strikeouts more aggressively last year, but he also issued more walks. He may miss the first couple weeks of the season with an oblique injury.

David Price capped his AL Cy Young Award-winning 2012 season by defeating the Chicago White Sox, but that remains the Tampa Bay Rays left-hander's last victory.

Price will try to end that drought with another strong performance against the host White Sox in Sunday's series finale in Chicago.

Price became Tampa Bay's first 20-game winner with a 6-2 victory at U.S. Cellular Field on Sept. 30, but he'll likely have a very tough time reaching that mark this season. A combination of lack of run support and subpar pitching has resulted in the left-hander finding himself on the verge of failing to win in April.

Price (0-2, 5.52 ERA) gave up three runs over eight-plus innings against the New York Yankees on Tuesday but suffered a 4-3 defeat.

"If he throws the ball like that and we had scored four runs tonight, he walks away and feels like he was fantastic. But we don't score enough runs and he doesn't feel as good about himself," manager Joe Maddon said. "That's just how this baseball thing works."

The Rays (11-13) have lost in five straight starts by Price for the first time and are the second team to lose in the first five starts by a reigning Cy Young winner. The Minnesota Twins lost in Frank Viola's first seven games in 1989.

Price might have a good chance to end that skid Sunday as he's posted a 1.20 ERA in back-to-back wins over the White Sox (10-12).

Price will also try to help his team earn a four-game split of this series. Tampa Bay ended the White Sox's season-high three-game win streak with a 10-4 victory Saturday.

The Rays had a season-best 19 hits, including four apiece from Evan Longoria and Kelly Johnson. Desmond Jennings and Ben Zobrist homered, giving Tampa Bay at least one home run in 13 straight games.

That's tied for the second-longest such streak in club history and two shy of the team record set July 25-Aug. 10, 2009.

"Offensively it was a pretty good night up and down," Maddon said. "A lot of guys had great nights. ... It was a really interesting offensive night and hopefully we're going to gain some confidence from it."

Dylan Axelrod (0-1, 3.80) will try to help the White Sox bounce back with another strong start at U.S. Cellular Field. The right-hander is among the major league leaders with a 0.77 home ERA in his two outings there.

Axelrod, who has never started versus Tampa Bay, gave up one run and three hits over six innings against visiting Cleveland on Monday but the White Sox lost 3-2.

"I can't ask myself to do anything else but keep us in it and be ahead coming out of the game," he said.

Paul Konerko and Alex Rios will try to continue their success versus Price. Konerko is 9 for 18 against him while Rios is 8 for 16 with five extra-base hits, including a pair of homers.